Floyd County, GA Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)
Key Facts
- Billboard defined as
- Freestanding sign over standard cap
- Sign lighting rule
- Downward-directed and shielded only
- Upward lighting
- Banned except monument signs under 6 ft
- Property-line cap
- 0.5 fc residential / 1.0 fc other
- Max penalty
- $1,000 or 6 months, per day
Summary
A billboard is a freestanding sign under Floyd County's Unified Land Development Code, so it falls under the county's general exterior lighting standard: any fixture lighting it must be downward-directed and shielded, and upward-directed lighting of the sign face is prohibited except for small monument signs, a category no billboard qualifies for.
e.Light fixtures illuminating signs shall be downward directed and shielded so that the angle of luminance does not result in light projecting above or beyond the sign being lit. Upward-directed sign lighting is prohibited except for monument signs of less than six (6) feet overall height.
Full Breakdown
highway. 8, the county's exterior lighting standard, which applies to all outdoor lighting above 230 lumens in residential zones and 500 lumens (600 for fluorescent) in non-residential zones, a threshold any illuminated billboard face clears many times over. Under that section, fixtures illuminating any sign, billboards included, must be downward-directed and shielded so the light does not project above or beyond the sign face. Upward-directed sign lighting, such as ground-mounted floodlights aimed up at a sign, is banned outright, with a single narrow exception for monument signs under six feet in overall height, a category that excludes every billboard given the code's own 40-foot height allowance. " Enforcement runs through the Chief Building Inspector under Article 7's inspection and enforcement provisions.
Violations & Fines
Lighting a billboard face with upward-aimed floodlights, or with fixtures that are not shielded and downward-directed, is a Development Code violation. The Chief Building Inspector can order the fixture corrected or removed, and conviction under the ULDC's violation and penalties article carries a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in jail, or both, with each day of continued violation treated as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a billboard in unincorporated Floyd County be lit with upward floodlights?
What lighting standard applies to a billboard face?
Is there a general brightness limit near a lit billboard?
Who enforces billboard lighting violations in unincorporated Floyd County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Floyd County
Compare Floyd County to another location·View the Georgia outdoor lighting overview
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